Glam Tip: Finding Your Skin Tone

Your skin tone will determine everything from the shade of make-up you wear, to the color of clothing that look best; even the color of those highlights that (ahem) “naturally” appear in your hair. Yet incredibly, many people don’t actually know what tone their skin really is. Often, we guess, using general factors like, “blonds are cool-toned, and brunettes are warm”, and though that may be the case for some, many of us don’t fall into such general genetic categories.

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An easy way to determine you skin tone is by looking at your underarms in natural light. You’re looking for the color of your veins. If your veins are bluish in color, then you have a cool skin tone, and if the veins are more green in color, then you have a warm skin tone (a golden brown tan in the summer is also a clue that you’re warm-toned). With cool skin tones, look for colors that have a blue base; for warm, look for colors that are yellow based. An easy way to think about color is by season, also known as the “Color Me Beautiful” method. For example, autumn colors are traditionally warm (orange, olive green, burgundy), whereas winter colors (silver, blue, purple) are traditionally cool.